Predictably, Nick Saban has been mum on the status of his star quarterback’s shoulder after he suffered an injury which has turned out to not be as bad as many initially thought. After all, why would he tip his hand to the opponent when he can keep them guessing as to who is going to be under center this Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Calling Bryce Young “day-to-day” is one thing, but Alabama’s practice footage this week that they are obligated to release a clip of to the media was zoomed in on the receivers so that you could not see who was throwing them the ball. This is next level gamesmanship.
“He's got a little bit of a shoulder injury. It's not a long-term injury, he’s gonna be day-to-day.”
Nick Saban on Bryce Young following his shoulder injury vs. Arkansas
(via @WVTM13)pic.twitter.com/PcK78BQwg0
— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) October 3, 2022
Alabama practice footage isn’t showing the passer this week 👀 pic.twitter.com/ISXR5Ep0bz
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) October 4, 2022
So if Young isn’t able to go this week, what is Alabama looking at? I am of the belief that Texas A&M’s offense is so poor that the Crimson Tide will be just fine even if it is Jalen Milroe under center. However, with a trip up to Knoxville next week to face one of the most electric offenses in the country, Alabama will need their quarterback to be healthy and ready to go.
While a week of practice reps could change things, the passing game against Arkansas was rendered completely ineffective (and that may be putting it nicely) after Milroe took over for the injured Young. Of course, the running game picked up the slack and ultimately won the game, but Alabama will need to be at their best in all phases of the game in order to earn a road win in what will no doubt be a raucous environment in Knoxville.
Is Nick Saban just keeping his quarterback’s status under wraps, or does he legitimately not know how long Young will be out for? If it’s the latter, the Crimson Tide might be in some trouble next week against Tennessee. But with a terrible Texas A&M team coming to town this week, Alabama should be just fine.
